It Doesn't Count
by QUEENSPELLER67
Summary: AU. It's St. Patrick's Day and there are some people who might not avoid getting pinched. Rated T for safety, essentially. There is minimal romance.


**Interesting fact about me: green is my fifth favorite color. As of only today (and this is because I haven't fully come up with the backgrounds for a good deal of OCs), I own (off the top of my head) characters who have green eyes. Three of my favorite characters have green hair. You know that quote I have from Kurt Vonnegut on my profile? *grins* About that…**

 **A/N: Comedic mischief between friends (numerous times on St. Patrick's Day or around the holiday) is the inspiration for this one-shot. By that, I mean a few friends IRL that I've got. Don't even try to do a virtual pinch on me because I have a green bandana (not like how May wore hers, but that's besides the point) and green shorts on. Also, this doesn't really tie into anything for the most part.  
**

 **Disclaimer: OCs and the storyline belong to me. If I owned Pokémon, then excluding Fakemon (and I don't just mean by me because I know I'm not alone), we would've had a dolphin Pokémon by now.**

 **Rating: Between K+ and T for swearing and the little bits of violence. Exact rating: T.  
**

 **Third person perspective and I'm going by location. A little romance, maybe. With that, I hope you enjoy:**

* * *

 **It Doesn't Count**

(Rota)

In the dressing area for the men were four men. One was wearing a gold medal being held by blue ribbon and that could be seen over his purple cape. This was the Mentor of the Rota guild: Ryan Ketchum. He was watching two of his guardians and one from the Delphinux guild. The first guardian was Jacob Matthews of Viridian City and the other was Troy Black of Asiatic City. Troy was silently hoping he'd get to speak to his mentor. The Sinnoh native was Riley Diraison. He watched them discuss battle strategies and noticed that Troy wasn't talking, something unlike him. Ryan casually approached his daughter's mentor. "She shouldn't be too hard to find. Go," he said in a whisper and Troy nodded. This wasn't Troy's first time at a Battle Chateau. It was his first tournament, though. Even if one lost a battle or ended it in a draw, it would still be recorded in their overall amount. Troy was out within 10 seconds. *

Rankings didn't make sense to Troy yet, which was why he needed his mentor. He was surprised that _his_ protégé was ahead of him in rankings. Then again, she probably started her guardian training earlier than he did.

"Split up!" he heard two little kids call. One boy had on green cargo shorts and the other had on black cargo shorts. The boy with the green cargo shorts on had on a white T-shirt with a Kecleon pictured on it. The other boy had on a gray T-shirt with a ...Chesnaught, (if Troy remembered correctly) on it. Both boys had dark hair, too.

"Now I've got you," a third voice said. He knew that voice and with his heightened hearing, he heard, "String Shot once you're out. You know where to aim."

He turned to see an intimidating Ariados. Behind said Ariados was the owner and the person he was looking for. She had a silver medal with a red ribbon holding it on and wore a yellow cape, indicating her rank as a Marchioness on the higher level. As opposed to Jacob's yellow cape, Rebekah's also had a silver trim at the bottom and (because of her military status) silver epaulettes on either shoulder. Riley was close to reaching the level that Rebekah was on. He only needed one more win to become a Grand Duke before he could start his battles on the red level. Ariados hissed at the two boys. "Ari, ariados," he hissed at Troy, greeting him.

"Nice work, Kumo. Sven, Dolph, how many times have I ...No. Let me rephrase that. How many times have your parents told you not to run off in a big place like this?"

Troy didn't know who was who. One boy giggled. "More than I can count," he said. Rebekah shook her head.

"Now you know how _we_ felt," a newer voice said. Troy felt like he was looking at an older Rebekah, but she had flecks of gold in her hunter green eyes and dark chocolate brown hair as opposed to black. Rebekah easily freed both boys with her blade. The one took off to his mother and the other just stared at Rebekah.

Rebekah gave Troy an apologetic smile and a glare at the other woman. "You know it's hard to keep up with these two as is and you also know I don't mind looking after them. ...but a place like Rota's kingdom? Not only are they bound to get lost or separated, they're bound to get hurt," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose.

The boy closest to his mentor bowed his head. "Sorry, aunt Rebekah," he said.

He heard the other woman say something, but wasn't sure as to what. "Sven," she said.

Sven's shoulders dropped. "Sorry, aunt Bekah," he apologized. Rebekah picked up the smaller boy, who was Dolph.

"Next time, don't do that and not just to your aunt Rebekah," Sven's mother said. She looked at Rebekah. "You do know we love you, though, right?"

Rebekah rolled her eyes before moving closer to Troy, opting to leave her Ariados out. "I begin to wonder about that. Where is Valerie?" Then it sank in. Rebekah sighed. "It's been a long day. Troy, remember how I said I only had one living sister?" Troy nodded.

"You picked a cute one," Emma said causing both to blush.

Rebekah's aura spiked and that wasn't good from her stance. "He's _married_. Troy Black, this is my sister, Emma Hollander," she introduced. "That's Sven who is 5."

He tried to see if Dolph would say anything like Sven did. "Mama, I know who he is," Sven said, tugging at his mother's purple cape. "He's the six-time Kanto Champion."

Dolph buried his face in his aunt's cape. "This little guy typically isn't so shy. Dolph is also 5 and I'm beginning to wonder if you did that on purpose."

"Did what?" and Troy saw a woman clad in a pink costume. If people thought that Clair and Lance were flamboyant in their clothing, then they hadn't met this woman. **

Rebekah flashed her a grin. "Had their first children together. Valerie, this is my protégé I've been telling you about," she said.

Valerie walked over to him and extended a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Troy," she said. Troy returned the shake.

"So Emma," Rebekah said, handing Dolph to his mother, "where _is_ Ryan?" That was one of her brothers, Troy could recall.

Emma shrugged. "Somewhere smack talking Will, last I checked," she replied. "Then Connor's doing his tournament with Candice back in Sinnoh and I don't know if Daniel and Olympia are coming or not."

Rebekah took a breath. "Some reunion," she said bitterly. She then remembered that Troy was right there. "Did you need something Troy?"

Troy bit his lip before nodding. Rebekah offered her hand. "Come on. I know this place like I know Whiterose City," she said, recalling Ariados. Troy held it and with that, the two disappeared.

In a part of the tree was their location. Regirock, Registeel and Regice immediately stood guard, but remained calm once they saw the visitors. The two just stood. "I'm sorry about Emma's behavior. I love her and all, but it's annoying sometimes. So, you wanted to know how the rankings work?" she asked.

Troy's mouth fell slightly agape. He still had to get used to that. "It's a system. The beginners are usually 7-10 and don't quite understand Mega Evolution yet and then there are those that started a bit later. The intermediate level (which is my level) is half to full guardians who have visited at least half of the kingdoms/other guilds," she said. Troy nodded, understanding so far. She took a sharp breath before pulling out her Pokégear. She had the picture. "Those are my parents. The highest rank is Grand Duke (or Grand Duchess) on the blue level."

Rebekah (and Emma) pretty much looked like their mom. Troy and Lina were rather surprised once they found out what Rebekah had in common with Troy. She placed a hand on Troy's shoulder. "Wow. Then how many more wins do I need to become a Baron?" he asked.

"One. Getting the Baron/Baroness rank on any level is easy because it only requires 3 wins," she explained. "They do a little exhibition match or two. The ranks are shuffled at random. Ready?"

Troy nodded. "Yeah, thanks," he said and the two returned to the stadium. Troy could see Lina in the stands and he saw young children. Standing next to Rebekah ended up ...unexpected, to say the least. "My nephews are up there," she said. All the guardians took note of the wide screen that had been installed a few years ago. It showed an "L" and an "R" instead of a red side and a green side... or anything else Troy had seen. "That's from the enter and exit points, I guess," she said.

On side L, it was Emma. Emma stepped out of the crowd and then the cards stopped shuffling. Troy felt his blood run cold and Lina was surprised. "Spectators," Ilene said. "We have a unique exhibition match. On the left side is Grand Duchess Emma Hollander. Emma is on the red level. She hails all the way from Kiloude City in Kalos, home to the first Battle Chateau." Emma had gold epaulettes on either shoulder and a silver trim.

Various guardians dispersed into the stadium's seating. There were cheers for Emma, who bowed. "We must also thank Emma for her service in the Coast Guard," Ryan Ketchum added. "Representing Kanto is a young man well known to many. Trying to earn his rank as Baron, please give a warm welcome to Troy Black from Asiatic City!" the Kanto mentor said.

Cheers were in the crowd and Lina cheered the loudest. Like the Pokémon League, there was a bench for supporters. Troy and Emma met in the middle of the field. Troy noticed no one was behind her, but she had her family in the stands. Troy's supporter was his own mentor. It would be a two on two match. They met in the middle of the field. There was a referee and they touched Poké Balls, with Troy noticing Emma using a Friend Ball. "Alright, champion," Emma said across the field. "Let's see what you've got to rival Bruin!"

'Troy, whatever you do, don't send out,' Rebekah began through an aura message, but realized it was too late. He had already sent out Gengar. Rebekah could only watch as Gengar gave the battle his all, even using his newly learned Venoshock to help, but for an Eevee, Bruin was strong. 'Think carefully,' she said.

Troy took this to mind and thought on the size. He sent out Luxray. This battle lasted a bit longer, but Troy still lost and the crowd applauded, some not having seen what the young man could do. "To kick this year's tournament off, we have agreed on a second match," Ilene said from the box. The cards were shuffled again. Emma remained on her side and Troy's eyes fixed on one woman. He found himself sitting with Ciara. Emma was sticking with Bruin.

Rebekah had a certain way of sending out her Pokémon; certain ones, anyway. "Alright then. I'll keep this one close to home," Rebekah said, standing back before enlarging her Fast Ball. "Gem, it's time to battle Bruin!"

Rebekah's Espeon materialized and looked at her brother. 'Good luck,' Bruin said, confidence in his voice. 'You'll need it.'

With a flick of her tail, however, Gem had a reply. 'We'll see,' was all she said.

"Bruin, rapid fire Shadow Ball," Emma hollered.

Rebekah didn't hesitate in countering. "Counter that with your own Psyball!" she hollered and Espeon fired three blasts that bore a striking resemblance to Psychic. The balls of energy collided and the two sisters had to stand their ground. Troy noticed that Rebekah had on green pants; army green, to be exact. He had to admit that the yellow of her cape and the green seemed to go together. ***

Emma smirked. "Not bad, little sis," she said. "Let's see your counter to Swift Underground!" and at that, Bruin sent his stars out, causing some dirt to fly and Emma had to shield her eyes slightly. Rebekah said nothing that the spectators can hear. 'Future Sight and he's coming from the east,' she said through their psychic connection. "Play the bell!" she said.

Espeon used Heal Bell, restoring her health and then smacked the bell that had appeared after jumping with an Iron Tail. "Trump Card!"

"Toxic Edge," Rebekah commanded and the attacks hit their targets, each losing some damage. Ciara noted that Espeon lost a shave more due to the recoil from the Double-Edge.

Emma raised a brow, noticing her sister keeping her cool. "Bite," Emma said.

Rebekah clenched her fist. "Morning Tail Sight," she said, bracing herself. Espeon used Morning Sun and hit Bruin with her steely tail before using her agility to avoid being hit. Future Sight landed a direct hit on Bruin. Combined with the poison from Toxic, that was enough to knock Eevee out.

The official waited. "Eevee is unable to battle. The winner is Espeon," he said. Emma scooped up Bruin and congratulated him before returning him. Rebekah had knelt (using her powers not to get her cloak dirty) to congratulate one of her longtime partners.

"Nice job, Bekah. I mean it, too. However," she said, quickly getting her second ball and enlarging it. "I was wondering if Gem could stand up to Kangaskhan!"

Rebekah took a few steps back. 'I have the perfect teammate in mind,' Gem said to her trainer, who nodded. "Keep wondering, sis. Gem, return," she said. She grabbed a ball, enlarged it and tossed it high into the air, revealing a starter Pokémon.

Emma reached to use her Mega Stone. "Remember, no Mega Evolution in exhibition matches," Ryan said. Emma took a breath.

"Now this is gonna be good," Ciara told Troy. Troy hadn't seen the Feraligatr in a while, but Rebekah obviously had a trick or two up her sleeve.

'Ready when you are, Tidal,' Rebekah said through aura. Her Feraligatr just growled. 'Heh. I'll take that as a yes.'

"You get the first move, sis," Emma said. Rebekah started off with a Crunch, to which Kangaskhan countered with a Flamethrower. Troy was a bit thrown when he heard (through aura) his mentor say, 'Get ready to catch that.' Feraligatr used Superpower to dissipate it and without command from Rebekah, Rain Dance to avoid any injuries to the spectators. Blows were exchanged.

"Now this is a battle for the record books," Ilene said. Rebekah appeared to be thinking and Emma used that to have Kangaskhan charge a Hyper Beam.

'You thinking what I'm thinking?' Tidal asked. Rebekah took a sharp breath. 'It's risky, but,' 'Go for it.' "Torrential Tsunami, let's go!" Rebekah said and only Troy and Ciara could detect her slight nervousness. Tidal not only charged for a Hydro Pump, but that activated Torrent as Hyper Beam headed his way and then came the finishing touch: a damage-dealing Surf on top of that. All of which was powered by Feraligatr's Torrent.

The moves collided and resulted in a steamy collision, causing Troy to summon his Pidgeot to clear the air. Both Pokémon were still standing, but also had taken a great deal of damage. Kangaskhan let out another roar before collapsing. The ref waited again. "Emma has lost both of her Pokémon. Which means the winner of this year's St. Patrick's exhibition match is Rebekah!" he called, pointing a flag to her and Tidal. The crowd erupted into cheers as Tidal turned to his trainer. Rebekah was looking at the ground. She then accepted the praise as well before congratulating Tidal.

"That was amazing," Ciara said to Troy. Troy was just speechless for a moment, but he was proud that his mentor took her sister down.

He nodded. "Intense, too," he said. Emma congratulated Kangaskhan before returning her and walking across to Rebekah's side of the field. Rebekah noticed and recalled Tidal, meeting her sister halfway. The two said nothing as they shook hands. Outside of the tree and near either bordering village were Rota's borders and where some matches were held. At the end of the night, Troy could reunite with his wife for the dance. He thought he heard whispering, but he ignored it. Lina was rounding the corner and Troy (ready to show off his new Baron cape with a white ribbon holding a bronze medal) began to walk her way.

"You did great, sweetie," Lina said as she congratulated her husband. She wore a new dark green skirt that she had bought and an ivory blouse. Before Troy could say anything, he felt a sudden piercing at his ankle.

"What the?" Troy said.

They didn't have to wait that long for an answer. "Sven Robert Hollander," Emma's voice called.

Troy heard the exasperated sigh of his mentor. "Mama, I told him not to do it," Dolph had said. Valerie said nothing, leaving that up to her sister-in-law. Rebekah gave Emma a terse glare. "I'm not going to be around to babysit the kids forever, you know. Sven, apologize, right now," she said.

Sven crossed his arms. His favorite aunt was punishing him for what? "Sven, you heard your aunt," Emma said. "Apologize."

"Sorry. But mommy, aunt Bekah, he's not wearing green!" the five-year-old tried to defend himself. Valerie let out an airy laugh, Dolph sighed, Emma face-palmed and Rebekah couldn't resist a smirk. Troy forgave him.

"I admit, he's right," she said. "You won't get a green cape until you hit the rank of Earl and to get there, you've got to get through the Viscount rank."

Troy rolled his eyes and Lina found it a little amusing. "...and you have _definite_ proof I'm not wearing green _how_? I mean, my eyes are green," he said.

Rebekah smiled. "True, but that doesn't count," she replied. Troy shrugged.

"When do I get to work on Mega Evolution?" he asked, hoping to have an answer to the question she had dodged a few times.

Rebekah looked at Emma. "How early in the morning can you get up?" Emma asked. When Troy didn't answer, she continued. "She'll work you hard. She's up every morning at 5:30 training in some way."

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Hey, you've gotta remember that the assassins are trained a bit differently," she said. "However," she said, turning her gaze to Troy. "I was able to get Venusaurite for you. You'll have to earn the others. Work your way up."

Seeing as the clock behind them (a grandfather clock, at that) was ticking, it was almost 7:30. "Hey Bekah," Valerie said. "I don't want to put a burden on you, but do you think you could watch Dolph while I go and dance with my husband for a bit?"

Rebekah took her nephew and offered another hand to Sven. Once she was alone with her nephews, Rebekah felt down. "Aunt Bekah?" Dolph asked, his gray eyes looking into hers. "Will you tell us a story of how you got your Metagross?"

Sven lit up at that. "Please?" he asked.

Rebekah saw no harm. "Alright. Well, it happened when your parents were 18, your uncle Danny was 20 and your uncle Connor was 17. Your uncle Darian and I were only 9 and your aunt Amber and uncle Ira were 8," she began, her nephews watching intently. It didn't take them too long to fall asleep and Rebekah smiled tiredly at them. She didn't have a partner to dance with, anyway. She wordlessly handed Sven to Emma when she and her husband came. She even did the same with Dolph, ruffling his hair a little. She used her powers and watched the couples on the floor. Ciara was dancing with her father, Diana was dancing with another boy and she knew Troy and Lina were in the crowd somewhere. She bowed to the queen.

"Leaving already?" a voice asked and Rebekah knew it to be Riley. She also knew what he was going to ask her, but she had the answer.

"Yes, Riley. I am. Congratulations on winning your final battle as a Grand Duke on the beginner level. I have more than 6 Pokémon to feed, after all," she said politely. Riley nodded. Little did she know another couple was calling it a night as well. "May the aura be with you," she added.

Riley bowed. "And you, as well," he said with a smile. Rebekah went to the balcony before taking out a flute of some sort. Not an eon flute, but it didn't look like a normal flute. She played a tune that sounded somewhat similar to the guardians' song and she waited.

"You're not much of a dancer?" Troy asked his mentor. Rebekah shrugged, not turning around to face her pupil. "I am for these things, but I had to look after my nephews. My niece (Emma's daughter) is ill and with her grandparents. Dolph and Sven are just boys. It's interesting that outside of looks, neither seems to have a quality from either parent."

Lina nodded. It was interesting. Troy was sensing a large amount of aura. "Troy. ...is that real?" she asked her husband.

Why did Troy feel like he knew this Pokémon? 'Greetings, guardians. Family of. Is there a disturbance?'

Rebekah stroked the Kanto bird on the forehead, noticing the scar under its eye. 'No. I just exhausted some energy and was wondering if you'd fly me home.' She then looked at Troy, having read its thoughts.

"Shamouti Island. It was quite harrowing for us in Johto, the home of Lugia," she said. That's when it clicked for Troy. He remembered it very clearly. He remembered seeing Lawrence's wicked grin. He shook his head.

Lina had been informed of the "major" incidences with his time spent with Ash, the first time, he just sacrificed his life. This one didn't seem familiar. Troy noticed and gave a sheepish grin. "How about I tell you on the ride?"

Rebekah had to hold back laughter as she watched the younger of the two grab her husband's shirt collar. "You better. You've got some explaining to do," Lina said, worried, but more angered. The groups parted ways for the night. Troy decided to put asking his mentor where she was temporarily staying in Kanto aside until he next saw her.

* * *

(LaRousse City, Hoenn)

It was interesting for May. Meeting her boyfriend's parents for the first time. She looked around the Hayden residence. "Wally doesn't go around the gardens without his respirator suit," Drew told her. ****

May nodded. "Makes sense." She just looked around as Drew opened the door for her. One thing she noticed: the St. Patrick's decorations ...pretty much everywhere. She smelled something in the oven. "...Drew, is that you?" a voice called from somewhere.

Drew nodded. "Yeah, mom. I'm back and I brought May with me," he said. Only then did he take a moment to look at her from a side. His mom moved fast, so it was no surprise that as he was ready to reach for her hand, his mother stood in front of May.

Drew's mother was a bit taller than Caroline, which May realized right away. "Ava Hayden. Drew's said so much about you in his emails," she introduced. Ava had wavy, light brown hair and turquoise eyes, leading May to the conclusion: whenever Drew's father would show up, she'd be looking at an older version of him, essentially. "I was a top coordinator here in Hoenn and studied under Juan," Ava said when neither said anything.

May nodded. "May Maple. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Hayden. Sadly, Drew," she said, casting her boyfriend a sideways glance. "...before we started traveling together, all he'd talk to me was about contests, my Beautifly and Glaceon."

"So, dad in the study or something?" Drew asked, seeing no sign of his father.

Then the sounds of footsteps could be heard and before Drew or May could say anything, Drew was pounced on by a Mightyena. A rather large one, in fact. May silently scanned Mightyena with her Pokédex. Mightyena wasn't growling at Drew, which was something he preferred over ...this.

"Mightyena," a deeper voice called and then May was pretty much right. Only difference seemed to be that Drew's father didn't have bangs in front of his forehead to flick. If they did, they had been gelled up, making a small, curved point. Ava sighed and casted May an apologetic stare. "Mightyena, _heel_ ," Mr. Hayden said. *****

Drew had been a little stronger than when this _last_ happened, but not enough to face Mightyena. "I missed you too, boy. ...but I think you've given me enough of a welcome home," Drew said. May wanted to take a picture, but she opted not to as the Mightyena got off. She just watched Drew's mom go fetch a rag and Mr. Hayden help Drew up. "Thanks, dad," Drew said, not making eye contact with his father; and that was mostly so Mightyena's ...slobber wouldn't get into his eyes. (1)

Ava handed Drew a small towel and went to wash her hands before returning to her task at hand. "We'll definitely have to save some for Tessa," Mr. Hayden said. He then looked at May. "My sincerest apologies. Mightyena (as you could see) is _very_ affectionate. I'm Stephen Hayden and the CEO of the HNN," he introduced, shaking May's hand. [2]

May blinked. Then why wasn't he in an office? As if reading her mind, Drew replied, "Once dad got promoted to CEO, he did a lot of meetings with the president, HR and ...executives of the company to work at home," Drew said, finally drying his face and went to put the towel in the washer to be washed later. "My mom makes shamrock sugar cookies every year. Green frosting and 'baker's sweet dust' ...essentially, another round of sugar."

May was ecstatic at the idea of that. "Well, before Drew surprise us, I was just on the phone with Wally. He and Lisia are on their way as we speak," Stephen said. "Shall we sit?"

Drew and May sat next to each other on the couch, hands intertwined momentarily. 'Nothing embarrassing so far. Please, Arceus. Let it stay that way,' Drew thought as he watched his father. Drew was good at reading people and knew his girlfriend's family.

"You may not be a gym battler, but you're a Maple, through and through. When I was in the scouting department, I was looking for decent trainers. I met Norman ...so many years ago. Ava, is Tessa going to be 23 this year?" Stephen said.

Drew's mother looked up. "Yes," was all she said.

He nodded. "It was before Tessa's birth. One of my best reporting teams is looking for great coordinators and I know you'll both likely be interviewed by them," he said and then that's when May noticed something. She slowly separated their fingers and noticing that father and son were locked into eye contact, she decided to act.

Drew wanted to bite his tongue, but he yelped instead. "May, what was _that_ for?" he asked.

"Silly grasshead," she said, using one of her old nicknames for him. "You know to wear green on St. Patrick's Day."

Drew inwardly groaned. He took a breath. "Green hair and eyes aren't enough?"

"It doesn't really count, dear," Ava said. Drew had to think. He knew his mother had a peridot as part of her wedding ring. His father was wearing a green necktie. May wore her green bandana, but now around her neck, acting like a scarf of sorts. (3)

As Stephen laughed, May smiled. She felt more comfortable than she expected. "The sooner Wally gets here, the better," she heard Drew mutter.

* * *

(Mauville City, en route to LaRousse)

"S-sorry about this," Wally said to his girlfriend, a bit nervously. He showed his trainer ID card. "One first class car, please."

The man looked at Wally and Wally looked around. He looked at his girlfriend and gently tugged her sleeve of her hoodie. Once he reread Wally's ID card and saw the girl's face, he quickly gave them two red tickets. Lisia pulled her hood back up until they got onto the train. They were en route to LaRousse from Mauville and they had already been on another train from Sootopolis. "It's okay, Wallypop," Lisia said, causing him to blush. Wally no longer wore the clothes he started out with, nor the ones he changed into about a year or two after his initial journey. Instead, he wore a pair of light gray jeans with black tennis shoes and a green polo shirt; the green being a bit darker than his hair. Lisia's hoodie was green. "There will be other times we can ride on our Altaria and I'm glad you're wearing green," she said.

It was then that Wally felt a small pain in between his tricep and forearm, causing him to wince. "M-me too," he said.

Lisia didn't notice him wince, but she did take down her hood, revealing her turquoise hair once more. "Well, you already knew my uncle and you met my parents. What's your family like?"

Wally swallowed the lump in his throat. "Remember how I said that my twin brother is a coordinator?" he asked. Lisia nodded and her eyes widened.

"You're Drew's brother?" she asked, having known his last name, as he gave it to their parents. Wally nodded. "So are you... a year apart or?"

Wally took a breath. "Before I go into mine and Drew's relationship, lemme tell you a bit about my family. First, my dad has a Mightyena who is very friendly, to say the least. Second, I have an older brother who is famous ...guess it runs in the family," he said somewhat nervously. "Then I've got an older sister named Tessa and then there's Drew and I. You still with me so far?" (4)

Lisia nodded. "Go on, Wally," she encouraged him.

* * *

(Sinnoh league HQ. Somewhere on Lily of the Valley Island)

This was Aaron's first meeting ...with _all_ of Sinnoh's gym leaders. There was Roark in Oreburgh, Gardenia (who had battled him for the gym leader title) in his hometown of Eterna, Maylene in Veilstone, Crasher Wake in Pastoria, Fantina in Hearthome, Byron in Canalave, Candice in Snowpoint and Volkner in Sunyshore. Relationships were going through his mind as he waited for his coworkers, Skorupi by his side. 'Okay. So Byron is Roark's father. Candice and Maylene are best friends with no doubt about it and Volkner ...and Flint ...grew up together.' He was guessing that Lucian knew Byron because when it wasn't League season and if he (Lucian) wanted to get away, his first place of choice was the Canalave library. Come to think of it, Bertha also probably knew Byron very well. So that left Cynthia, as he and Gardenia kept in touch. "Where is everybody?" Aaron asked.

"Cynthia is probably getting dressed and I don't know what Flint and Lucian are doing," Bertha's voice said and Aaron didn't expect her to be that far away from him. Meetings were held in the lobby, for the most part. Unless it was a meeting in between other champions and important figures, they would meet on the second floor. (5)

Aaron had to admit that he wasn't _mainly_ thinking of his coworkers, but rather, the gym leaders. "Actually, I meant the gym leaders," he said sheepishly.

Bertha shook her head. "Oh relax," she said casually. "The meeting doesn't start until 3:00 and it's only 2:25," she said, looking at her watch for the last part. "You're a month in. What are your thoughts of being in the Elite 4?"

That was a good question and before Aaron knew it, he was conversing with Bertha. He had warmed up to Flint more than Lucian. A thought crossed Aaron's mind after he asked Bertha if she knew Byron at all. "I remember when he was getting married. I don't think I can go any further than that. The whole family is passionate about their specialty types and despite his name, Heaton doesn't specialize in Fire-types. In fact, he was in the Elite 4 and retiring," she said reminiscing. "Cynthia's closest friends are (even if she doesn't admit it) Steven, Lance and Diantha. Alder is someone she sees as a father." [6]

Aaron nodded. "Does she ...have a good friendship with any other Elite 4 members?"

"Ah, that would be Caitlin out in Unova. Youngest female to join the Elite 4 and you're the youngest male," she told Aaron. "You'd probably make good friends, even something more, but who knows?" (7)

At that, the green-haired Bug specialist's face flushed a little bit. "Yeah. I'm looking forward to meeting the other Bug type specialists."

"Well, that's something we have in common," Bertha said, causing Aaron to raise a brow. "Sort of. As far as the 18 types go, only one person has made it to the elite 4 for the following types: Bug, Ground and Poison." (8)

That was unexpected. Aaron pulled out his laptop to find any other Bug specialists in Kanto, Hoenn, Unova, Kalos and Alola. "The _only_ person to be a champion in something other than the Dragon type is a man named Clark from Kalos. Can't remember what type he specializes in," Bertha had said. (9)

Aaron nodded in acknowledgement. "Found a list," he said with a grin.

"List of what?" Lucian said, having come out of his wing. His voice was unmistakable and Aaron had to do a double take. For as long as he had known Lucian, the man was dressed in maroon. Well, he had his pants that were maroon, black loafers and instead of his white shirt and maroon suit jacket, Lucian was wearing a dark gray suit jacket with a green button down shirt. It seemed that when it came to dressing formally, Lucian had no trouble to be a sharp dressed man. He could only picture what his fangirls would be like. (10)

Bertha greeted her coworker and answered the question. "A list of Bug-type specialists," she had said and Lucian nodded.

"Let's hear it," Lucian said.

Aaron nodded. "It's alphabetical and I'm first. Up next is my friend Bugsy from Azalea Town. Then there's a man named Burgh from Castelia City, Unova. The sole girl on this list is Viola from Santalune City in Kalos. Then there's one who is listed... I don't know why he's not listed _before_ Viola," he began. He was staring at his laptop. It just identified a man named Tajiri as the 'Well-known Bug type trainer from Kanto to Kalos' and Aaron was curious. Tajiri. An interesting name. (11)

"Seems we're just waiting on Flint and Cynthia," Bertha mused and Lucian nodded.

As if on cue, both came out. "You rang?" Flint called, somewhat teasingly. (12)

Instead of his yellow collared shirt, Flint sported a Kelly green one. Cynthia. Aaron's heart skipped a beat. Outside of his mother, Aaron considered Cynthia one of the most beautiful women he knew. He opened the notepad function and made a note to call his mother after the meeting. Cynthia wore a black dress top with a dark green skirt. "Beautiful, Cynthia. Have you ever done modeling?" Lucian asked.

Cynthia nodded. "A few times when I was a teenager," she said and Flint plopped next to Aaron, opposite of Skorupi. No sleeves made for an easier target. Flint kept a neutral expression as his young coworker's eyes were practically glued to his laptop. (13)

Aaron let out a yelp and was ready to smack Flint, but he nudged him instead. "Ow. That really hurt. ...just about as bad as being stung by a newly-evolved Beedrill," he said, rubbing his arm. He was awaiting the Fire specialist's response. (14)

Flint was grinning like a Gengar, just about. "Aaron, _everyone_ knows to wear green on St. Patrick's Day," he replied.

Instead of pouting like a toddler, Aaron frowned. He knew that Bertha had switched her brown scarf for a green one. "I am wearing green," Aaron calmly protested.

Lucian rolled his eyes. "Having green hair and," "I _know_ that," Aaron fired back. He knew what Lucian was going to say.

He huffed. "I'm wearing green," he said. Bertha and Flint were doing a head-to-toe glance and saw no green other than his hair and eyes. "I've got on green boxers. That counts, right?"

At that, Lucian face-palmed, Flint sweat-dropped, Bertha chuckled lightly and Cynthia merely smiled at her youngest coworker. "I'm not sure, Aaron," was her simple reply and Aaron blushed slightly.

* * *

 **...I'm not too sure about that one either, Aaron. I'll have to do the rundown before I get back to you readers on that one.**

 **(*) Ryan is one name for Ash's father in one story. *grins* I won't say which one, though. You'll have to wait and see. Also, it didn't take Troy that long to get out of there.**

 **(**) Flamboyant is just a word I'd use to describe the attire for Lance, Clair and Valerie. Maybe Elesa as well, but I'm not sure. I also really didn't know how to describe Valerie's outfit. I'll figure it out sooner or later.**

 **(***) No, Psyball is** _ **not**_ **a real move, nor is it an improvised move. I'll have to explain on my dA [my profile is long enough and that'll change] account how the psychic guardians work. Essentially, it's the Psychic equivalent of Aura Sphere.**

 **(****) I didn't make the idea up. Brownie points if you know where I got the idea from. He [Wally] wears a respirator suit because some flowers' pollen can irritate asthma. I would know.**

 **(*****) So, basically, Stephen's hairstyle is a fringe crew cut. No matter your gender, if you have no idea what I'm talking about: search for it. I used Bing [because this is coming to you from my laptop] and was able to find it. For those of you who** _ **do**_ **know what I'm talking about, it's that with some of the fringe gelled up into a point.**

 **(1) Not sure if it would be considered drool or slobber. I chose the latter because… *sighs* if you want the story, PM me. I don't own a dog, so I really wouldn't know. I know that Mightyena is pretty much based off of a hyena, but hyenas are canines.**

 **(2) HNN stands for Hoenn News Network. I'm not sure if that's mentioned in the remakes or the originals. Either way, I got the parody from CNN; Cable News Network.**

 **(3) As far as May's bandana goes, I'll explain it like this. Imagine her ORAS design or look it up. Once you have that, envision the bandana tied around her neck. Can't picture it? Google search "bandana choker" and** _ **that's**_ **what May's bandana looks like.**

 **(4) Ah, one of my favorite head canons: Drew and Wally as brothers! So, for the most part [excluding the crossover "Rising Hunters"], Drew and Wally are the youngest two of the Hayden [or another last name if I change my mind for certain stories] family. They have an older brother who is 2 years older than Tessa and 3 years older than them. Drew, May, Wally and Lisia are 16 in this. The oldest male Hayden [I promise you, he is** _ **not**_ **an OC] is 25, Tessa is almost 23, making her 7 years older than Drew and Wally.**

 **(5) So, league HQ [sans the Alola region] is a building for me. Kind of like the one in the games. So, they all have** _ **very**_ **similar designs. In the center on the first floor is the lobby, reception desk and a healing area. Then picture that building branching off 5 times: once to the northeast, to the northwest, the southeast and the southwest. The fifth "branch" depends on the region and it's the champion's quarters. In the case of Sinnoh, the rooms by the end of the branch are as follows: northeast is Aaron's quarters/suite/battle arena. Northwest is Bertha's quarters/suite/battle arena. Southeast is Flint's quarters/suite/battle arena. Southwest is Lucian. In between Aaron and Flint's spots is Cynthia's quarters/suite/battle arena. While the whole building is two floors [in Sinnoh's case], I head canon that each Elite's room [as well as Cynthia's] have their arenas taking up at least half of the upper floor space. Anything sticking up and out is covered by a dome in that specific part of the building.**

 **(6) By other important figures, I mean [for the most part] league officials, the League president [and as you may or may not know, I head canon that he's only the president in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh. I have separate presidents for the Unova and Kalos leagues], G-Men and ranger …bosses, I guess. The other part of this: think about it. Alder is old enough to be a grandfather; he could be in his 50s or 60s and Benga is his grandson. Either way, the champions are pretty young; and I am talking prior to Alola. So, say I'm using Red for Kanto; he's in his 20s. Lance is between 20-40; it varies with him, but I'd have to say he's in his late 20s or early 30s. Steven is [according to Bulbapedia] 25 in the gen 3 games and their remakes, 28 in HeartGold and SoulSilver and somewhere in between 33-43 in Black2 and White2. Then Wallace [who {and I know I'm not alone in thinking this} looks like he's a drunk genie …or a genie in general in his newer artwork] is between 20-35 and I'd have to say that he's 33. Cynthia is between 20-37 and I'd have to say she's 26-27, give or take. Then Iris [games Iris, not anime Iris] is between 19-27. Peculiar age range, I know, but she looks 19 [at the youngest] and 27 [at the oldest] and my age for her would have to be 23. Lastly, we have Diantha. I'd also say she's 20-37 with 24 at the youngest and 37 at the oldest and my age for her would have to be 25-27, give or take. …What was I saying? *looks up* Anyway, I was trying to make the point that Cynthia sees her fellow champions as friends. She'd most likely admit Diantha and games Iris, but probably not the and the other bit: Heaton is an English first name that has something to do with the ground. He is Roark's grandfather and the Underground Man.  
**

 **(7) Personal opinion and head canon. Seriously, of the males in the Elite 4 (again, save Alola), Aaron looks to be the youngest and I'd give him 14; he's 25 in this. Also, Caitlin is promoted to the Elite 4 in between the Sinnoh games and the Unova games. Her age is 16+ in the latter games. I** _ **was**_ **going to say Phoebe, but she looks older than 14-19. Also, I found out a new crack ship [and if you know me, you know I like certain crack ships] and when I'll write a one-shot on it remains to be seen. The ship between Aaron and Caitlin is OrchardMantisShipping.**

 **(8) Seriously. The only ones from their respective types to make it to the Elite 4 [excluding OCs] would be Aaron, Bertha and Koga.**

 **(9) It just flew from my fingers typing. Bertha is foreshadowing for Book I of Rebekah's journey. *Scrolls up* Huh. Well, good news is that I'm about halfway done with part 2 of the prologue. I was debating splitting it into two parts, but that just doesn't seem to click with me. So, the prologue [I can't remember where I've mentioned …my profile, I know it's there] is probably going to be the longest thing I write. I will not have the first chapter up right away, so if you are someone who needs to break large chapters up into chunks you can read with enough time, you will be able to do so. Otherwise, I mean, if you can read lengthy chapters without a break, by all means, I'm not stopping you. I will not say how many pages it is exactly, but it's over 30 pages so far.**

 **(10) Part one: I don't know if Lucian's outer attire [by that, I mean his suit] is maroon or burgundy in color. I'm going more with maroon, because that's how he appears in the anime. Part two: brownie points if you find a reference in that segment.**

 **(11) This isn't the only time I will mention Tajiri. Tajiri isn't an OC. According to his history, Satoshi Tajiri was fond of bugs as a young boy. In the games, there is a trainer class called the Bug Catcher. In Emerald, you have the opportunity to do the Battle Frontier. In generation 2 [IDK about the remakes; excluding Crystal], there is a Battle Tower in Olivine City. I didn't know about this until I watched a video on YouTube from Alex Ogloza. There is a possibility for you to battle a Bug Catcher named Tajiri. I haven't seen screenshots of it, but I believe it. …and yes, I know that Aaron was a bug catcher [also on Bulbapedia; source is not coming to me off the top of my head] before he was an Elite 4 member.**

 **(12) Personal head canon/opinion: I personally [and strongly] believe that Flint is an easygoing, teasing type of guy. So when he teases Aaron and Lucian, it's in a brotherly manner, of sorts.**

 **(13) I was thinking of Aaron going to the computer behind the reception desk [before I go further, the Elite 4 of the region and its champion all know the password to the master computer], but then that wouldn't have worked as well. Brownie points if you recognize where I kind of got the idea from.  
**

 **(14) For me, I've only been stung by a bee once. To me, it felt like a pinch with a twisting sensation. Beedrill are [obviously] based off of bees. I head canon that a newly-evolved Beedrill sting wouldn't hurt as much as say… a sting from a Mega Beedrill. …That last part sounds like it'd be a nightmare for Misty. *Begins to think***

 **A/N: Whew. That was a bit of a doozy. As for my opinion, if your hair is dyed green, it doesn't count. The only way hair is "worn" (per se) is if you wear a wig. So if you're not wearing a green wig, it doesn't count. If your eyes are naturally green: it doesn't count because like your hair, you also don't wear your eyes. However, I am fully aware of contacts that can change your eye color. If these contacts can change your eye color to green or hazel, it counts. Now, if you know hazel eyes, they can be green/gold or green/brown, or no green at all. If there is no green and you are wearing these types of contacts: it doesn't count. Ah, the question of undergarments. I went to a school [grades 6-12] that had three colors, one of them being green. It's more likely to see undergarment exposure [for me, it was] in guys. However, if you're in the girls' changing room [like, for PE] and you have a green bra [or green underwear] on and someone sees it, it counts. Otherwise, I'd have to say it doesn't.**

 **I really hope you enjoyed this one-shot because I am the owner of: Ryan Ketchum, Ciara Ketchum, Rebekah D'Arciola, Emma Hollander (nee D'Arciola), Sven Hollander, Dolph D'Arciola, Troy Black, Lina Black and the remainder of Rebekah's siblings plus her parents. I do not own Asiatic City, for (like Troy and his family) that was created by** **MadDogLucario96** **.**

 **Final comments: I** _ **was**_ **initially going to have more OCs in this, but I decided that that would make this much longer than it had to be. This one-shot (namely the chunk/dialogue/interactions with May, Drew and his parents) is also dedicated to the one and only: Aqua Kumquat. Aqua Kumquat is my nickname for the fabulously amazeballs, fun to talk to, awesome Aussie internet sister (hope that wasn't insulting), the** _ **biggest**_ **ContestShipper I know, the one, the only Launa. AKA,** **maycontestdrew** **.**

 ***clears throat* wrapping things up, I was feeling festive -checks flash drive- 5 days ago. I also decided to work on Connor's Eevee and that will hopefully be posted tonight or sometime this weekend if homework doesn't bite me first. I try to take as many breaks from school as I can and this was one I needed. As far as St. Patrick's Day celebrations go, if you** _ **are**_ **drinking today (I'm not stopping you), make sure you have a designated driver. In the States, some of you might've heard the slogan: drive sober or get pulled over. Please be safe in your travels.**

 **Until next time, thank you to the two people I just mentioned. As always, R and R, F and F, vote and ask. Ciao.**

 **-Legal**

 **PS If you're wondering how I have my bandana on, it's around my head. Message me if you want to know** _ **exactly**_ **how I'm wearing it or leave it in the review.**


End file.
